Gauge of manufacturing conditions bounces back in March, returning to normal levels. Real Time Economic Calendar provided by Investing.com. *** Stocks highlighted are for information purposes only and should not be considered as advice to purchase or to sell mentioned securities. As always, the use of technical and fundamental analysis is encouraged in order to fine tune entry and exit points to average seasonal trends. Stocks Entering Period of Seasonal Strength Today: Subscribers – Click on the relevant link to view the full profile. Not a subscriber? Signup here. Pioneer Energy Services Corp. (NYSE:PES) Seasonal Chart Movado Group, Inc. (NYSE:MOV) Seasonal Chart Manchester United Ltd. (NYSE:MANU) Seasonal Chart Petrochina Co. (NYSE:PTR) Seasonal Chart Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) Seasonal Chart H. B. Fuller Co. (NYSE:FUL) Seasonal Chart China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE:CHL) Seasonal Chart AES Corp. (NYSE:AES) Seasonal Chart Great Canadian Gaming Corp. (TSE:GC.TO) Seasonal Chart The Markets Stocks surged on Thursday as investors took comfort in the Fed’s dovish comments following their two-day meeting on Wednesday. The S&P 500 Index jumped by 1.09%, moving to another multi-month high. The session was led by a mix of growth and defensive stocks as investors take into account the lower cost of borrowing; financials were the lone sector to close in the red. On the economic front, a key gauge of manufacturing activity bounced back in March, showing results that are more typical for this time of year. The headline print of March’s Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey showed that the business conditions index rebounded to +13.7 from –4.1 previous. Analysts were expecting a print of +5.5. Stripping out the seasonal adjustments, the actual level of the business conditions index was +30.2, which is slightly higher than the average read for this time of year of +25.9. The index came in well below average in February, the result of colder and wetter than average weather that impacted manufacturing conditions. The report suggests a snap back into the end of the first quarter when optimism amongst manufacturers is typically the highest. Sentiment on Thursday, as gauged by the put-call ratio, ended bullish at 0.77. Throughout the day, the ratio of puts to calls was pointing to complacency with levels sinking to as low as 0.54. The bearish slate that was dominant at the end of 2018 has been wiped clean, resulting in the present bullish tilt. Increasingly, this is making the equity market become vulnerable as portfolio protections are replaced with bullish bets. Seasonal charts of companies reporting earnings today: S&P 500 Index TSE Composite